Docker is used to run software packages called “containers”. In a typical example use case, one container runs a web server and web application, while a second container runs a database server that is used by the web application. Containers are isolated from each other and bundle their own tools, libraries and configuration files; they can communicate with each other through well-defined channels. All containers are run by a single operating system kernel and are thus more lightweight than virtual machines. Containers are created from “images” that specify their precise contents. Images are often created by combining and modifying standard images downloaded from repositories.